A/N: She-ra and the Princess of power were made by J. Michael Straczynski and Larry DiTillio, I only take credit for my own added character's and storylines. Similarly, any references will be attributed to their original creators when they pop up.
I post on both A03 and FanFiction, take your pick in whichever you prefer to read.~.
I hope you enjoy!
Book 2: Of Schemes & Gathering
Chapter 1 ~ Building the Beginning
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She realizes it, of course; shame wells as she contemplates how utterly pathetic she was being.
But after hours of crying it's difficult to care much for anything. At this point, she can think of little more than ponder how much effort it is to simply breathe. It'd be so easy to just leave. To just stop caring as the world seemed so incredibly eager to bring itself to burn.
She hates this moment. When the world makes her feel so, so empty.
Sometimes, it feels as if she only exists to be put down. A step for others to rise as she simply remains.
Her ear twitches as the door's slides open. Too tired to feel anything close to irritation, she shrinks father into herself, her body hidden between the many boxes and stone wall as she waits for the intruder to leave.
Not even Adora knows of this place. Of how much comfort the metallic decorated stone walls bring her. Of the comfort the lack of voices the edge of the capital brought, substituted by the soft humming of the heavier machinery that served for the Horde's war machine.
She wouldn't understand, Catra knows. How could she? Adora had never wavered where Catra did. Never hesitated or lacked in everything that Catra did. Even if Shadow Weaver didn't hate Catra, there's the ugly truth that echoes at the back of her mind that knows she'll never be good enough.
And then her nose twitches, a far too familiar scent leaning on the wall as she hears a body slide down next to her.
"Hey, Catra." A familiar voice greets. The faint scent of metal and earth filled the room as the older girl hums softly. "A ration for your thoughts?"
"Go away, Hannah." She groans, hiding behind her main even as her body easies at the comforting scent.
"But it's raining!" She whined, fingers drumming on the floor's hard surface as she continues to hum under her breath. "Besides, you don't seem all that well. Trouble in paradise?"
Catra's jaw tightens, feeling her claws sharpen not for the first time as she glares at one of the many worn boxes. "That's none of your business!" She hisses, stubbornly focusing on the faint pitter-patter of raindrops crashing onto the hardened surface.
"It is when you're crying, dummy." Hannah huffs, leaning next to Catra, her soft fingers gently combing her hair. "Do I need to beat someone?" She asks, and for all Catra refuses to look at her she can almost feel the intense gaze flowing onto her.
"How about Shadow Weaver?" Catra laughs. A bitter and tired sound escaped her lips. She has no doubt it'd be a strange sound to hear from the body of a child.
She doesn't particularly care.
"Okay," Hannah whispers.
And Catra panics, quickly bolting with an apology at the tip of her tongue.
And she blinks, shoulders tense as she gazes at the empty room.
"Hannah?" Her voice brakes, fingers shaking as she forces her claws to remain sharp. "I'm sorry. Please don't. I was being silly!" Panic grows as her breathing starts to quickly. "Hanna, please!"
The silence remains, a cruel, long testament as the walls start to rust and fade.
Her longer limbs tense, eyes narrowing as she examines the bare storm-filled sky.
She tilts her head watching the red filled lightning dance through the blackened sky.
And yet, for some reason, her brain refuses to understand the sight of poisonous green. She takes a step back, eyes narrowing as they frantically flicker throughout the sky.
And Catra falls.
Explosion echoes, closer to those she's used to as her eyes open.
And Catra wakes up.
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Letting out a weary sigh, she attempts to wipe the sleep out of her eye. Her jaw tenses as she suppresses a yawn, eyes darting at the edge of the land as another explosion slams into one of the many nearby mountains.
Sleeping in a trench, she'd found, had little to no difference to the metallic bed's they'd endured when they were younger. That, however, did not change the uncomfortableness of sleeping in a stone mixed dirt whole as the mages of the south relentlessly continued their attack.
Another explosion echoes; Catra frowns, sparing it a glance before she returns towards the half-constructed map with a frown.
"Emily, could you focus on the river? I want the entire section of the mountain range." Catra hums, staring at Entrapta's latest creation shift's focus; a larger map shows. Lines and colors draw her a more detailed statistic. In contrast, much of the map still retained blackened sections. Locations that her scouts had been unable to explore. "When was the last time a report was-"
Emily beeps, the holographic map's corner displaying the time as Catra lets out an amused huff.
"My Lord Hordak..." Her companion mumbles, falling onto his arms as he throws the contents of his stomach onto the floor.
This time, Catra does suppress the urge to sigh, quelling her disappointment as she continues studying the map. Really, it wasn't Kyle's fault the newbies lacked a decent stomach. He'd had bare months to put this batch of graduates together.
Then again, she should be grateful that the kid wasn't running with a deranged screech. The sheer fact that he was taking cover rather than charging headfirst left Catra wanting to cry in relief.
Only that she didn't cry, so the paraprosdokian was somewhat lost in the compliment.
Either way, between Kyle completely reconditioning their education and her newly assembled 'elder's discursive meetings' they were starting to take the Horde in a direction that didn't include throwing enough numbers to overwhelm the enemy.
More or less.
On one side, Horde soldiers had no qualms dying for the Horde; it was an honor, anything but would be an insult to their pride.
But, on the other side, nobody enjoyed the idea of dying due to incompetent management.
Which left her in a bit of a thin line, since telling her soldiers to not charge at the enemy was very close to saying cower from the enemy.
Though, enough time since her accession had passed that she could start to see the first results of her reforms. And while Catra had tried to become more humble, she felt the need to claim there was nothing but crystal improvements to their military.
On that note, she'd shamelessly gone through George and Lance's library, studying any reference to military or logistics that could give them an edge against the rebellion.
And it was working. Quite wonderfully, in fact. At this point, she saw no reason to not continue her endeavor. Even if it did mean there were more Scorpia's that tried talking of feelings and friendship.
Catra stood, massaging her neck as she hummed to herself.
"Word of advice," She offers, feeling somewhat amused at the display, "when vomiting, do try to look downwards."
"Y-Yes ma'am!" He forces himself up, giving a weak salute as he stands shakily.
Catra sighs, reaching for her new toy as she waves his salute away. "Good enough, I suppose." Meeting his gaze, she can't quite refrain from offering a sharp smirk. "Regardless. I do hope you enjoy nightmares." As another explosion echoed through the battlefield, she couldn't quite suppress the shiver of excitement coursing through her spine. "If not, try not to break too fast."
"...Commander?" The newbie's expression had long since passed from weariness, Catra noted with no hidden amount of delight.
"Do hurry up, Corporal Aurik. If we don't push forward we'll be forced to dig deeper."
"I-, but we can't make the push!" Eyes widening, he sent her a pleading glance. The attempt might have been intended to attain some level of sympathy, but it also completely skipped her head. "There are too many mages providing covering fire!"
"And that," Catra smirks, "is why you're the Corporal, and I'm the Commander." She pat's Emily's head, eyes scanning the pillar-like mountains. "They're not hiding above. There's very little space to hide and far too many ways to fall. Tell me, Corporal, what do you think would be the best method to deal with this attack?"
"...I suppose long-ranged attacks-"
"The tanks can't access the southern region," She interrupted, "the terrain is too uneven for them to advance."
"Oh. We outnumber them, so starving them-"
"They have magic." She sighs, rolling her eyes as the man - a boy, really - awkwardly fiddles with the edge of his uniform. "Moving resources is, unfortunately, rather easy for them.
"I..."
"A valiant effort," She decides to praise, patting his head in the same way Lance's book told her to. Granted... they were dedicated to pets. But as a commander, she felt that there were enough similarities for the basics to still match. "Now stay put. Watch attentively. And learn fast."
Unhurriedly, she steps out of the trenches. A thoughtful expression decorates her features as she gazes at the towering, pillar-shaped mountains.
As a cadet, one had to memorize the many terrains both in the Horde, and those that had yet to be taken by the Horde. And, technically, the entirety of Etheria was divided into numerical given locations, including oceans and floating islands. Cobalt, however, had pointed out that for all the Horde was advancing, its pace was... lacking, for lack of better terms to use.
In the center of their advancements was a mixture of mountains and canyons that even with the Horde's ability to alter terrain meant it was tricky to build any fortifications for troops to rest the heavier vehicles. That, combined with the whispering woods left any form of progress incredibly challenging.
On the northern front were the edges of the Crimson Waste, difficult to advance though and only to meet divided lands with multiple of the neutral princess. And while Catra could advance through it, she was also aware that making more enemies would only be detrimental in the long run.
...As long as she wasn't fast enough to press said offensive, of course.
But that did leave the Southern front. Pillar fashioned mountains decorated the land for kilometers with no end. The terrain was uneven and unstable, a danger for the troops to even begin to advance, much less push a front through.
The southern front was a known nightmare for any Horde soldier. This particular sector - appropriately named 'Hell's pillar' - was a graveyard for many of her predecessors. It wasn't rare for some to ponder if this was Beast Island's true location.
A belief that she'd quickly come to share.
So Catra had chosen to push here rather than any other location. For while she lacked any groundbreaking, shiny sword related ability to shatter the tide of battle, she did possess a particularly good friend that had an even more particular mind.
It was only a matter of time before Entrapta arrived. And when she did, this particular experiment which left Caatra just a little giddily inside would start.
She stretches her neck, eyes sharp as the mismatched pair takes in the scenery. Idly, she sends one final glance behind her to ensure the Corporal hasn't wandered off.
Not that she understood why Kyle had reacted to her proclamation of going to hell by throwing her a newly graduated soldier. One who had yet to even experience any battle, much less this brand of hell.
Honestly, if anything, Aurick was more of a hindrance than any particular boon. She constantly had to look back at her shoulder and make sure he hadn't lost his limb. More than once she'd had to pull his head down to make sure it wasn't blown off by a wannabe princess and-
Huh.
Oh. Oh. That devious, brilliant, little brat.
And people wondered why she liked Kyle.
He was trying to get her attached. But having realized the likelihood of her taking any standing equal as a challenge, had decided to give her a tug along little duckling to follow her around.
And it was working.
Urgh. She'd almost be proud if it hadn't been used against her.
Not that she'd do much about it. Aurick, while very wet behind the ears, had a sharp mind that might just prove its worth in the Horde. If anything, knowing that Kyle had done it on purpose made her more inclined into improving his development.
But that thought was for neither now nor here.
Sidestepping an approaching spell, her finger tapped on her spear; her grip tightening as her eyes darted around the moving shadows.
Magic was unpredictable. It was volatile; offered far too many variables and far too diverse to be predicted on a battlefield.
But every strength had its weakness. And Catra had long since accustomed herself to finding the best of faults to exploit.
Magic was no exception. It had to be cast, needed time to prepare, and while it was unpredictable, its caster was not.
The raining of explosive spells was devastating. It was a strategy that had left the Horde at bay for years.
But they were also slow, predictable, and easy to dodge.
Foot slamming into the ground, she darts towards the mage, armor offering little assistance as her spear reaches their throat.
One.
Using the falling body as a shield, she darts the other direction, the spell missing her body as she reaches her next two targets.
Two, three.
She wasn't prepared, Catra can't help but think. The image of the first time she slit a sapient being's throat echoed throughout her mind.
None of them had been.
As much as they studied the idea of war and death, the reality was far too different from any picture they could have possibly imagined.
But, she can't help but wonder, if the most daunting fact of it is how easily she copes with it.
Seven, eight.
The knowledge of her murderers weighs heavily on her, but...
But she thinks of soldiers hiding in corners and memories, shaking and shattering with the knowledge of the lives they've just taken.
She knows that she should feel more than just weight. That she should fall apart and break from what she so carelessly can do.
But she doesn't.
And she can't help but wonder if, just if, it's because she's already broken.
An explosion sounds, a large boulder falling from the mountain decorated sky as Catra lazily shifts her weight.
The tip of her spear glows red, only for a moment as the faint tendrils of steam is all she needs.
The overheated tip slices through the boulder easily, both pieces falling at each side. Her half-lidded eyes stare at the frozen opponents, small figures that can so easily be brushed off by her mind.
And as she wonders, the device on her wrist starts to beep.
Tiredly, and perhaps just a bit lazily, her eyes darted upward. She barely blinks at the sight of meteors made from metal blazing the entire sky.
She definitely took her time, Catra thinks, eyes darting towards the blue ocean.
There can be no hesitation, Catra knows. Fingers run through her hair as she stares blankly at the setting sun.
Anything less would be an insult to everyone that's died to reach this point.
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Hours later, she finds herself oddly pleased even as she watches the fire burn.
"While there have been some setbacks." Entrapta grins, watching her creation burn with idle curiosity. "I can safely say that this experiment has been a resounding success!"
"Entrapta," Catra smirks, more teasing than reproaching, "The cannon blew up. Certainly, the fire it rained down was a success, but if it blows up the ship it's not quite resounding."
"Well," Entrapta pouts, and Catra winces as she realizes she's upset the woman, "They're artillery batteries, not cannons. And it didn't sink."
"And I have no doubt you'll figure out how to make sure it neither sinks nor blows up." Catra nodded. "After all, it's only taking you a month to get this far."
Which was skipping the particular parts of sinking ships, setting the ship on fire even as it sank, and blowing up ships while they were sinking and on fire.
As far as Catra was concerned, things were progressing at a satisfying rate.
"It'd be a lot faster if I could use fixed batteries." Entrapta sighed, staring at the flames in sentimental sadness.
"I know," Catra tries to placate, all too familiar with the most recent bout of her... dissatisfaction. "But the alliance is far too spread out for us to use them in any fixed manner. And hey, as soon as you finish this one, you get to build them bigger."
Indeed, while Catra did intend to eventually cap the length the larger ships could be made at, she didn't mind letting the woman's genius shine until it was more detrimental than beneficial.
If anything, she felt that the ship they'd just used could still use a fair bit of upgrading. Not only due to the ship not being able to withstand the artillery battery, but simply because she knew Entrapta was just that good.
In just some few months, and with the very little technology they'd salvaged from the first one's ship, she'd made a far sturdier and larger ship than anything the Horde had possessed before. Not only was it nearly six times longer, allowing Catra a far greater length to stretch, but also possessed far less motion due to some stabilizing concept that Entrapta had tried explaining before.
Truthfully, Catra at most gave it a week before Entrapta figured out how to ensure the artillery could be safely used on the ship. Which would then take two to four months to mass-produce at a reasonable scale to offer the long-range support she'd felt missing in so many key points of Etheria.
Certainly, while it would only be provided near the coastal areas, in many ways Catra felt that completely surrounding the island-like continent that was Etheria would push the Rebellion into surrender.
Or, well, most of it at least. Catra felt a sudden urge of frustration as she thought of specific members that would definitely refuse to surrender.
"Oh, Emily!" Entrapta let out a loud, bubbly laugh. Holding the robot tightly, the woman grinned in delight as she held a screen with reverence. "She's figured it out!"
Wait. Wha-
"Figured out what now?" Lonnie yawned, walking towards them with a somewhat interesting expression.
"She edited my schematics!" Entrapta grinned. "Oh! You beautiful child! It's brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! And she even added multiple guns to a turret! It makes so much sense!"
Lonnie winced at the volume, watching the sight feeling faintly perturbed. Slowly, she leaned towards Catra. "Do you ever feel like that robot's far too intelligent?" She whispered, turning towards her in faint concern. "Kind of scary if-"
And blinked, realizing Catra had disappeared from her sight.
"Not bad," The woman nodded in approval, patting Emily's head in an almost affectionate manner.
Lonnie stared. Noting the lazy swishing of her tail, the softening of her smirk, the looseness of her muscles and...
And Lonnie realized that it wasn't in an almost affectionate manner. With growing dread, it hit Lonnie that Catra was showing honest affection towards the robot.
Genuine affection.
"Dear Lord Hordak," Lonnie whispered, her eyes darting towards the meter tall robot. And, if she squinted, she could almost see the chaotic weapon of mass destruction in its shadow.
Granted, Catra had been... not mellowing out, Lonnie considered, but had started developing a better sense of control. Or rather, seemed to have learnt to lash out towards enemy soldiers rather than indiscriminately.
Lonnie was still wary of the robot, though. If she wasn't careful it'd start a cult and overthrow Lord Hordak.
Her mind finally catching up to her thoughts, Lonnie grimaced. She shook her head, realizing just how ridiculous sleep deprivation was causing those thoughts to become.
As if Lord Hordak would ever be overthrown.
Seeking her bed, and aware she didn't technically need to be here, Lonnie yawned happily, making a half salute as she walked back into the now safeish ship.
"Oh!" Entrapta squealed, cooing at the schematics, eyes holding a dangerous gleam that Catra might have felt the need to kill before it got it to change to rein. "To think you'd create your own weapon! Look how you've grown, Emily! It was just some months ago when you were developing your own sentience!"
Or she would have, were she not so occupied salivating at the sheer firepower each cannon possessed.
Dear Hord and above, Catra thought in delight, those cannons were at least seven times her size. Can I have one? She almost asked before her brain caught up to her desire. Because- Because, as the second in command, didn't that mean she could request for one?
"Catra!" Scorpia calls, spotting her as she hastily runs towards them.
Carefully, she ignores - or in this case, suppresses - any irritation at having her request postponed.
But Scorpia was... she was- urgh! Catra could concede that, despite Scorpia's many quirks, she did hold the woman in high regard. So, for the sake of their comradeship, she was willing to postpone her weapon.
"We've got a big problem in our hands!" She panted, the blunt side of her pincers leaning on her knees. "Oh. Hi, Entrapta! How has your-?"
"Scorpia," Catra interrupts with a sigh, "pleasure after duty, please." She adds with a dry, and perhaps a slight affectionate tone.
"Right." She nods, a faint blush dusting her cheeks. Catra shifts her weight, wondering if she was too harsh for what was a friendly greeting. "Duty, right." She straightens, offering her salute as her expression becomes more awkward. "You've just received a formal invitation from La Iglesia, from the holy maiden herself."
"...You're going to have to unload that onto me, Scorpia," Catra admitted after a beat of silence. "I thought she wasn't active within... politics." Catra finishes, unsure of how she feels with the newer shifts of the war.
"It's big because she's been talking to members of the alliance as well," Scorpia says wide-eyed. Perhaps noticing Catra's confusion, she specifies her worry. "La Iglesia is one of the five major powers of Etheria. While they are the smallest and weakest, they still hold significant sway over a fair number of people."
"I was under the impression they couldn't afford any participation in the war." Catra frowns, thinking of what she'd heard and studied of the previous years of the war. "I also thought they didn't hold that much sway in most people's minds."
"It's a dying ideology," Scorpia nodded, hesitating for a moment before a rare frown etched her features. "Or rather, I'd say they still possess a significant number of believers, but few of them are newer members." She then shakes her head, eyes focusing on her. "The reason they still have sway isn't because of their size, but rather due to them owning territory in every one of the kingdoms."
"And the princesses allow that?" Catra asked bewildered.
"It's sacred," Scorpia explains. "Either due to pilgrimage or temple locations. If they did join the alliance, then they would have an excuse to enter any of the neutral territories."
"Ah." Her mind spinned as she contemplated Etherias map. Certainly, Catra was confident that they'd be capable of holding for the first few months, but that would eat through their resources at a far faster rate. A situation that Catra had been rather desperately trying to counter.
And she'd been doing that by focusing quality over quantity. If they had more enemies to fight, then...
It did not paint a pretty picture.
"But that isn't the main reason this is a problem!"
"Oh?" Catra forces herself to smile, already dreading what's about to be said.
"The problem is that if one of the five great powers suddenly joined the war, then the other two might consider doing the same. That would be all the neutral princesses as well as the independent merchants, the latter of which would provide a huge boon of resources for the alliance."
"...So I don't want the tea party to go wrong?" Catra grimaced as she felt a migraine start to form.
"You really," Scorpia nods, a grimace forming on her lips, "don't want the tea party to go wrong."
"Catra!" She hears Lonnie hiss, running towards which just as much mania that Scorpia had carried but some few minutes before. "It's the north! The frontier has fallen!"
Catra tenses, her mind spinning as she turns towards Scorpia.
"Go." She nods at Catra, pincers somehow managing to waver in a comforting manner. "We have this under control. You still have a few days before it becomes rude to keep the invitation waiting."
"Be careful." Catra nods, walking towards the command center as Lonnie takes her right. "Arrange a report, Lonnie." She orders, frowning as she pictures a map. And then she smirks, eyes shining as she turns towards the woman. "We have some guests to host."
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Víspera - ACUÉRDATE162576
Comprobando sistema.
Signos Vitales: ...
Error.
Reiniciando sistema.
Iniciando comprobación del sistema.
Signos Vitales: Verde.
Data Geográfica: Desconocida.
Temperatura: Baja.
Integridad de armadura: 24%
Ventilación : Bloqueado...
Error.
Reiniciando sistema.
Iniciando comprobación del sistema.
Error.
Reiniciando sistema.
Iniciando comprobación del sistema.
Error.
Reiniciando sistema.
Iniciando comprobación del sistema.
Activando el sistema visual: Verde
Localizando conexion: ...
Error.
Localizando conexion: ...
Error.
Localizando conexion: ...
Error.
Localizando conexion: ...
Error.
Error.
Error.
Error.
...
Conclusion: Aliados Destruidos
Empezando Proyecto Adán
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Woo! I'm back! Though technically I've still been updating other works, so... Quid pro quo? I think.
Thought I generally am apologetic that I couldn't update sooner. After Covid lockdowns, I had a few halves made drafts until the end of Book 1, but after that, I was far too busy with IRL to work on TYAH. Not because I didn't have any free time throughout the past few months, but due to how complex I've made this story, and therefore how careful I have to be with writing every scene.
Speaking of scenes, if you felt any oddness between writing throughout this chapter, then I'm both sorry and really glad since I'd mean I've made visible progress with my righting throughout the months!
That being said, having months away from posting on this fic has given me the chance to work on micromanaging each of the main characters - most notably Catra, which I'm rather happy how she's been turning out.
A quick note of that. Catra is not broken, and while she might wonder about it for the foreseeable future, I feel the need to mention that she, for all her struggles, will grow both as a character and as a friend.
None the less, if you felt I should have written something differently, be it personality and/or displays of different states of mentality, please leave a comment! Any advice is welcome and appreciated!
Anyways, Ill See you next time! Ciao!
~ Sapphire and Emeralds